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Friday, 30 March 2012

I was pondering my growing collection of knitting books today and I found an old friend: my first ever knitting book. Armed with little knowledge but an urge to make something truly spectacular I'd hunted down a yarn shop and spent an hour choosing THE BOOK. This book was going to change my life. I would knit garments and wonderful things that would make people turn in the street and exclaim that they were the best hand knitted pieces that they had ever seen. I had plans.

However, 3 or more years on I have yet to touch this book. There's no reason why not, I just lost my bottle, then lost the desire to knit the patterns I'd so wanted to indulge in. The book is called 'Knit So Fine: Designs for Skinny Yarns' and is co produced by Lisa R Myers, Laura Grutzeck and Carol Sulcoski. I wanted to share my thoughts on this book as I'm debating setting it free into the knitterverse for someone else who might love it and use it more than I ever did.

The ladies define skinny yarn as anything lighter than a worsted weight and there's a compelling section at the front demonstrating what a better and more flattering fit you get with these yarns. I still agree, but these days my RSI isn't relishing the idea of a long sleeved pullover in laceweight despite how elegant and feminine I would hope to look.

Image (C) Carol Sulcoski

The highlights of the book for me were found in the 'Shine Segment' where trickier techniques and interesting construction sat. I loved this Bohus Inspired Pullover by Carol Sulcoski and think the clever way the colours are changed to create a gradient at the yoke is brilliant. Like many of the designs there's also cute details at the cuff to add interest in both the knitting and the final piece. A big thumbs up for me.

Image (c) CanelaSweet

Then there's these beauties: Travelling Stitch Legwarmers by Lisa R Meyer that make my brain explode. They're so delicate and intricate and so utterly ambitious. If I wasn't in so much pain, I would take that challenge I'm telling you.

The book includes both written and charted instructions although the charts are small but I always photocopy mine anyway. The photography is stylish and helpful and I found the notes before each pattern really informative. It's a shame it just never came to fruition.

Sunday, 25 March 2012

This month, my attention for 12 Women in 12turns
to the story of moving an online business into a successful bricks and mortar store. This is no mean feat as the jump is enormous and the market is often very different along with the kind of customer care. But one crafter is proving it can be done: with careful planning. Rachel Hart is the founder of a beautiful new haberdashery shop, Ray Stitch, located in Essex Road, Islington that has been winning the hearts of locals and crafters everywhere since is opened last year.

With kind permission, (c) Ray Stitch

Ray Stitch is a stylish and unique premises with all those little details that make for an inspiring crafternoon visit - cakes and tea, sewing items and fabrics, stylish patterns and yarn, and the room to browse at leisure. The staff are warm and friendly and whether it is Sam, manning the amazing cafe or Michelle, helping with online orders and creating new ideas for workshops and classes, their expertise is incredible. As a non-sewer I come away feeling inspired and keen to find room for a sewing machine and a few of the truly mesmerising display of fabrics.

With kind permission, (c) Ray Stitch

Rachel says the idea for Ray Stitch came from a desire to see fabric and
haberdashery shops back on the high street. It is evident that Ray Stitch was always going to be a
'real' shop because Rachel really feels that so much of the inspiration for a project comes from
seeing and feeling the materials you might use and she wanted to create a
environment full of goodies.

It sounds ideal doesn't it? Grow the business at home (as Rachel did) and when you're ready jump into a shop. Rachel is honest about this process though, explaining that the hardest part is just that jump, "....by far the biggest issue is money!! It costs an absolute fortune to
set up a premises. Apart from a big investment in stock (and it is
important to be well-stocked and 'comprehensive') there's the obvious
extra associated cost of rent, rates, insurance, fit-out, staff etc etc
......" For those online retailers considering following in the same vein, Rachel advises realistic plans and thinking carefully about the cost of each and every part of it. What's more, she is passionate that retailers should stock up with as much as they possibly can in order to offer a wide choice of goods whilst trying to be true to your own tastes.

Hearing this, I thought about the wide variety available at Ray Stitch and the constant playground of new goodies on offer. This is no accident and Rachel claims that the biggest change about moving from online to a high street shop is a faster turnover of stock and so it's now easier to keep things new and fresh, especially as the sales creep up with each month of being open. This isn't the only difference of course because now Rachel faces her customers every day, something she openly relishes and enjoys. When I asked her the most unexpected change, I was delighted to hear that she has been struck by how many men have come into the shop and that Ray Stitch are keen to encourage this (I wonder if Sam will be leading the way....)

With kind permission, (c) Ray Stitch

Ray Stitch is growing from strength to strength and Rachel dreams of more premises offering the same great customer service and selection to inspire new and experienced sewers. You can follow all of the most recent news about Ray Stitch by keeping an eye on their news section, facebook page ortwitter feed.

A huge thank you to Rachel and her staff who are so inspiring in their professionalism and took time out to answer questions for this blog post.

Stay
tuned for more 12 women in 12 and please do join in to show your
appreciation for great business stories by
either tweeting along on twitter (#12womenin12) or sharing your
feelings on your own blog. Be sure to let me know/ link us in, I'd
love to know what you think!

Friday, 23 March 2012

I thought I would update you on how things have been going with the spinning. There was a small attempt at using the spindle that resulted in a lot of swearing and frustration. Most people on Twitter advised me to try different methods to help me slow down but the problem was I couldn't get started! I just didn't seem to be able to get the fibre to spin. A little investigation with my friend who can use the spindle taught me that BFL it is a downside easier to spin and Falkland Merino. Lesson learned.

The same friend also brought round a beautiful spinning wheel, The Ladybug and I have been delighting in learning how to spin on a wheel. It is completely hypnotic and I might be addicted already. I can't wait to get to the point where I can ply my efforts so far.

Sunday, 18 March 2012

A Playful Day is kindly sponsored by Superknits, who now have a wonderfully chatty group on Ravelry dedicated to their super yarns- go on, join in!

A Playful Day is also kindly sponsored by NorthboundKnitting,
uniquely hand dyed yarn, spinning fibre and modern knitting designs.
Please show your support for our playful friend by clicking on
the link above.

A Playful Day is proudly sponsored by Candy Skein, hand dyed yarns sweet enough to eat! Please support our playful friend by clicking on the banner above.

Show notes:

-along, the playful group on RavelryBluefaced's open weekend- 25th-26th Auguest 2012. Details can be found here. I review Skinny Dip's Butter Fingers and Miracle BalmDon't forget the amazing Rock and Purl giveaway that is still open and the details can be found here.

Munch, Burp, SchlurpI
talk about my favourite cookbooks and why love them, from Nigel Slater,
Mollie Katzen, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Nigella Lawson. I also
mention 'Apples for Jam' and recommend the High Fiber Diet podcast as well as The Foodie Knitter.

Wednesday, 14 March 2012

Somebody very kindly sent me an e-mail to inform me that my comments were not working which is very troublesome considering there is a giveaway and I like to hear from everybody. Luckily for me they understand that Blogger often pitches a fit with new updates and funny things happen that you don't realise or know how to fix.

If you have been unable to comment up until this point I am very sorry and would suggest that you test it is now working by either entering the said competition or laughing at me for not even noticing until this point. Thank you very much for my e-mail and if ever there are problems please do let me know- you can find my contact detailshere. I would hate anyone to miss out on yummy prices!

Tuesday, 13 March 2012

Remember George, the pup who was helping to mend a broken heart? Well many of you were quite taken with this skinny little fellow and have been asking how he has settled in.

George is a gentle and eager to please little man who has won everybody's hearts including mine. I knew the moment I saw him that he had to come home with us, there was just something in his eyes that begged to be loved and believe me, loved he is. From the first day that we brought him home he has been a complete joy and proved that my gut instinct was right: he is 'Gorgeous George'.

As you can see his coat is no longer dull and full of scurvy brought on by the stress of his ordeals although the weight gain will take a lot longer as it needs to be slow and steady for this growing puppy. He is less hollow looking and I think you'll agree that this is the demeanour of a very content dog.

We have noticed with great delight, that his tail no longer sits nervously under his body but instead curls up into the air cheerfully. In fact, he is so expressive with his tail that we have to stand clear as it whips round like a propeller!

We are learning that George adores nibbling fingers, playing football (somewhat clumsily), and plenty of hugs. No complaints here, except perhaps when finger nibbling interrupts knitting! Oh, and for the record, skeins are also George's most favourite thing ever although sadly not for the same reasons as they are mine. We are negotiating about how we treat fingers and skeins.......

Sunday, 11 March 2012

A Playful Day is kindly sponsored by Superknits, who now have a wonderfully chatty group on Ravelry dedicated to their super yarns- go on, join in!

A Playful Day is also kindly sponsored by NorthboundKnitting,
uniquely hand dyed yarn, spinning fibre and modern knitting designs.
Please show your support for our playful friend by clicking on
the link above.

A Playful Day is proudly sponsored by Candy Skein, hand dyed yarns sweet enough to eat! Please support our playful friend by supporting the banner above.

Show notes:

-along, the playful group on RavelryThere will be a podcast next weekend, Sunday 18th 2012 and then I'm back to fortnightly recording but stay tuned for a few specials as we approach the podcast anniversary.

I review 'Textured Stitches' by Connie Chang Chinchio which is available through Search Press or your local yarn store.

GiveawayI interview Ruth Garcia-Alcantud, the woman behind the RockandPurldesign label. You can see her stylish patternshere. Ruth is kindly giving away two e-book's to 2 lucky listeners. To enter please leave a comment in these show notes, stating which e-book you would prefer: her wonderful sock collection or lace collection. Be sure to leave your comment before 31st of March 2012, remembering to make sure that I can get in contact with you (a Ravelry username will do). Good luck!

Friday, 9 March 2012

I promised you all a very indulgent post about a shawl that I have been completely in love with recently. To say that I am besotted would be an understatement. As evidence of the reason why please see the picture below.

Pretty isn't it? The pattern is called Whippoorwill and is by Carina Spencer, who is also known as Sweet Mama on Ravelry. The pattern has been in my queue for quite some time. On a snowy day in February I decided it was time to release some stash that had been marinating for quite some time and cast on.

Firstly, let's talk about the yarn shall we? The main body is knit in NorthboundKnitting yarn, Super Wash Merino, a lovely fingering weight that I thoroughly enjoyed working with. As always with Lisa's yarns the colour is absolutely perfect and I was completely addicted from the get go. The colourway is called 'Moonstone' and is now firmly in my all-time top yarns. The subtle variation in this wonderful yarn is just the kind of colour that I love in order to create an interesting fabric.

To complement this lovely neutral I picked a Tactile Fibrer Arts yarn that I had been sent for review. The yarn is calledBolinas Sockand the colourway is 'Pomegranate'. It is a bouncy Blue Faced Leicester with a high twist that has been naturally dyed and I felt the red popped wonderfully for this project. While I had a few issues with bleeding from the yarn I had been cautious enough to soak it first as I knew that naturally dyed and red are both prone to bleeding. Luckily, it was more a case of excess and so I didn't lose any of its' wonderful deep colour.

(I'll be doing a fuller review in this Sunday's podcast episode so stay tuned for more news on this lovely yarn. It's a goodie.)

I loved working up this pattern, and was sad that I didn't do my homework before it was too late to realise that I could have squeezed a medium-size shawl out of these two skeins. Realising this, I set about adding an extra red ripple and the size is now perfect to wear around my shoulders this summer. You can see more details and notes on my Ravelry page here.

Roll on summer!

PS I appear to be getting better with this dictation software - photos!

Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Before I start, if there are any errors in this post I'm going to leave them uncorrected. You will soon see why.

I originally started knitting following a sports injury that left me unable to do most of the sports I did at the time and in fact barely able to walk. Forced to sit still, I took up knitting as a way of soothing my very active self with a new kind of continuous movement. It seems that no matter what movements I'm doing, there will be injury as I'm now having to work out how to deal with RSI. I suspect I am naturally tense person and in my head I excuse this as being something of a 'creature', the kind that doesn't stay still and is constantly bustling about!

I have learned to position myself more ergonomically, take regular breaks and pay attention to where I hold my stress. This has really helped a recent change from teaching to freelance writing and editing means that 70% of my day can now be spent on my laptop be it as work or in my own time when I'm blog reading etc. I edit audio andvisual, format documents, write blog posts for myself and others, proofread and generally spend a lot of time clicking away at my desk. So while I have managed to overcome wrist pain from knitting, the constant use of my laptop was not going to work.

So I thought I would share with you my new solution -- dictation software! I have to admit I saw very strange chatting to myself but look, a whole blog post, complete with (over) punctuation and no pain! Also, as an added bonus I can break into 'Vogue' thanks to my nifty headset.I felt I just had to share as I know many of you out there suffer from RSI either due to your crafting the kind of lifestyle we all lead which involves heavy workload on a laptop or computer.

It is not cheap option and involves a large amount patience in order to train it to your voice and learn how to use it to manipulate different software programs. However, it now means that when I finish my working day I can sit and knit rather than stare sadly at my needles and mutter, "soon friends, soon". my next plan is to invest in a RSI friendly mouse because that investment now will hopefully save me from pain for years to come. Do any of you use different support for RSI? I would be very interested to hear about it.

The hardest thing is going to be resisting the urge to knit with my now free hands which would kind of defeat the whole point, don't you think? Also, if anyone knows how to get a similar software that will make my appliances respond and do things like all my laundry and cooked me dinner without my having to lift a finger, do let me know.

Monday, 5 March 2012

A Playful Day is kindly sponsored by Superknits, and brace yourselves because..... the stripes are here! For more information, please click on the banner above.

A Playful Day is also kindly sponsored by NorthboundKnitting, uniquely hand dyed yarn, spinning fibre and modern knitting designs. Please show your support for our playful friend by clicking on the link above.

A Playful Day is proudly sponsored by Candy Skein, hand dyed yarns sweet enough to eat! Please support our playful friend by supporting the banner above.

Show notes:

Subway Knits interview
-along, the playful group on Ravelry
There will be a podcast next weekend, Sunday 11th 2012 as I miss chatting about knitting and food....

You join us at Unravelwhere I record the (very noisy) podcaster's meet and greet with lots of friends and podcasters:

Thursday, 1 March 2012

I can't wait, the third annual Knitting and Crochet Blog week has been launched, hosted and organised by the wonderful Eskimimi. Thanks to this event, the podcast came into being and I had so much fun, made new internet friends and discovered a whole host of blogs to add to my GReader feed.

The event will be on the 23rd-29th April 2012 and further details can be found by clicking the link below.